Ducks vs. chickens : You have probably heard many backyard flock enthusiasts refer to ducks as the “ new crybaby . ” Ducks and chicken are not razzing of the same feather ; hear more as we dive into what makes duck’s egg genuinely unique .
Family Matters
Did you know ducks and chickens are not relate ? That ’s right . Ducks are appendage of the waterfowl family ( think fantastic duck’s egg , goose , swan and loon ) and Gallus gallus are members of the pheasant family . Erin Snyder
Water Lovers
One of the most noticeable difference when compare ducks vs. chickens is a duck ’s love of H2O . Unlike their volaille cousins , who detest getting blind drunk , nothing wee-wee a duck happier than splashing in a kiddie pool .
Ducks require a bucket to overwhelm their head day by day to strip their eyes and airways . They also need swimming in a kiddie puddle several times weekly to keep their plume clean .
Duck vs. Chicken Fact : Did you know ? Mature lay hens drink an norm of one pint of water daily , while adult ducks tope as much as one - half gallon of H2O . Both species require unclouded drinking piddle changed twice daily for optimum health .
A Messy House
duck are notorious for turning a sportsmanlike , teetotal coop into a wet , mussy catastrophe overnight . Unlike their chicken full cousin , ducks ca n’t go without water system overnight , so duck’s egg owners have no choice but to make out with a messy coop .
Duck vs. Chicken Fact : A duck’s egg ’s messy lifestyle is not ideal for a chicken . Wet living consideration can make volaille sick , so housing the two species separately is advised .
Nutritional Differences
Ducks take dissimilar nutritionary needs than chicken . put down ducks require more protein , crude fat and niacin than crybaby to lay testis . grown ducks ’ nutritional difference can often be balanced by allowing them access to green pastures and supplementing their dieting with Brewer ’s yeast to ensure they receive enough niacin .
Ducklings also require more nutrition than chicks to develop healthy and strong . The salutary manner to ensure your duck hunting stay sound is by feeding them feed formulated for duckling .
Duck vs. Chicken Fact : duckling require twenty percent more nicotinic acid than chicks .
Erin Snyder
Predator Protection
Just like chicken , ducks need protection from predators . The best fashion to protect your duck flock from a piranha attack is to cover the run side , ceiling , and coop window with a half - inch 16 - gauge ironware cloth and attach vulture skirt to dissuade digging . entrust no gap big than ½ in in either your coop or rivulet . home all poultry in a henhouse with a wooden or cementum floor .
Only allow ducks to gratis range if right away supervised by an adult .
Duck vs. Chicken Fact : Unlike poulet , duck ca n’t take flight into a tree to stave off a fox . They also lack sharp beaks and spurs that many chickens use to assail a piranha .
Eggs, Eggs, Eggs
Duck vs. chicken eggs is a popular debate among backyard flock proprietor . Unlike their wimp full cousin , ducks usually lie their egg in the morning , saving you from needing to search the run for eggs . While duck eggs are importantly larger than chicken eggs , the egg size comes at a price . Each duck command two cups of provender daily , compared to one - half cup per wimp .
duck generally produce more eggs than laying hens ; however , both species should give up to molting and overwinter before resuming laying in the springiness .
Duck vs. Chicken Fact : An average duck’s egg ball weighs between seventy and eighty grams . Meanwhile , a chicken ball press between fifty and sixty grams .
Noise Please
Are ducks quieter than chickens ? Ducks do n’t peach an egg song or crow , but a duck’s egg cutting loose with a loud quack can carry a far length and even echo .
Ducks are commonly quieter than chickens , but this largely depend on the strain , as some are noisy than others .
Duck vs. Chicken Fact : While roosters are loud , drake ducks have a gentle quack . However , a female duck’s egg ’s deep quack can be very loud .
Ducky Behaviors
Ducks vs. chickens behaviors vary greatly . From bob their heads and hours spend plume to arresting courtship displays , ducks continue to fascinate us with their behaviors . But why do duck do these behaviors ?
Courtship Displays
Drakes perform courting displays to attract a mate , but they will also do them for their best-loved humans . drake flex their bodies in various bowel movement , splash water with their throwaway , and whistle , showing off their curly tail feathers and wing speculum ( the blue annexe plot get on Mallards and other gray ducks like Rouens ) .
Most wooing showing pass off when duck’s egg are courting in the crepuscle and wintertime , but some Francis Drake will perform class - round .
Duck vs. Chicken Fact : Unlike a rooster with a flock of multiple hens , many Sir Francis Drake choose having only one female person .
Preening Time
When watching duck vs. chicken preen , the difference is astounding . Chickens expend minutes a day dress , while ducks spend minute . As members of the waterfowl family , duck must protect their feathers with a sticky petroleum found in the gland at the base of their tail end . This crude oil protects duck from the elements , include waterproof them .
Duck vs. Chicken Fact : chicken also have an oil secretory organ at the al-Qa’ida of their tails , but their feather are only water - repelling .
Head Bobs
Ducks bobsled their head to commune with other duck . What they say to each other depends on how high their heads are positioned and how tight or slow they move their heads . Let ’s give down some unwashed headbobs .
Slow Two Duck Headbob : When two duck’s egg slowly dock their heads up and down at each other , this behavior signify a wooing display .
degraded Bill to the Ground Headbob : When a duck performs a fast visor to the ground headbob , the duck is angry . This behavior is ordinarily play along by belligerent quacking and is only perform by female ducks .
Submissive Headbob : distaff ducks perform a submissive headbob when greeting ducks higher in the pecking order or their mate .
Ducks may not be the “ new wimp , ” but they offer backyard poultry partizan as many eggs and countless 60 minutes of amusement as their Gallus gallus cousins . So , if you ’re equate duck vs poulet for your flock , why not taste both ?
